Spinach with tomatoes and almonds
Spinach, if you are familiar with my recipes, you know how much I love this vegetable. Always looking for new variations with this great vegetable. Here the tomatoes make it a little sweet, the almonds nice and crunchy. The Arabic cuisine is perhaps the reason I love spinach so much. Because they know how to prepare it in so many ways.
Home made pickled lemons
DIY, that’s me. Very much so. And then a long wait to turn something into somehting incredibely tasteful. I love it. Especially when it comes to cooking and delicious flavors. Pickled lemons, you buy them everywhere these days. But it’s great to make your own, right? Your own jar of pickled lemons. Who wouldn’t want that? Exactly. Well, I’ve waited six weeks and they’re not just nice. They are obviously not comparable to those from a jar, those from the supermarket. So much better. And it’s also incredibly easy to make. So….
Pasta with soft celery tomato sauce
This is one of those pasta sauces that takes me back to when all the kids were still living at home. To a day where you looked in the fridge and thought … what kind of pasta sauce will I make today… there are some onions, garlic, a bunch of celery, tomatoes… let’s put it together let it all simmer wonderfully. Stir occasionally. Look out at the birds flying by. Stir again. Answer a question from one of the kids. Stir again. Let’s take make that phone call. And stir again. And then we can yell, guys, diner is ready. And the happy faces when they see what’s being served. Such a sauce is this…
The green, greener, greenest salad
There are green salads and greenest salads. This is the greenest salad. Delicious hearty-tasting little Mediterranean cucumbers, dill, spring-onions and if I would have had avocado in the house, I would have added it as well. And the dressing, entirely in style. Green, too. In the blender 30 leaves mint, garlic, lime juice and some vegan mayo. And finally some roasted green pumpkin seeds… I can’t make it greener for you. Nor any better.
Next level fennel gratin
Next level fennel gratin. Which makes it a serious main course. Not just a simple vegetable dish, no one that stands. Stands out. Herbs, (vegan) cheesy, handsome and with a deep taste.
Tomato pilav
Unctuous is the word that comes to mind when I think of this pilav. Slightly sweet, delicious tomato aroma, light, sparkling and above all very soft. Yes, unctuous indeed. Everything is wonderfully soft and harmonious.
Spinach and black eyed peas with Szechuan pepper
Since the pregnancy of my oldest child, my son, I have had a very special relationship with spinach. And it’s been going on for about 29 years now. And still going strong happily together. We know how to surprise each other over and over again. Also this time. Here the Szechuan pepper works perfectly together with the balsamic vinegar. On top of my ‘super man’ spinach, of course.
Courgette ‘puree’ with tomatoes
Deliciously soft. Creamy almost. Full of flavour. Clashing colors. But flavours that complement each other wonderfully. And the fried garlic takes you into higher spirits.
Harissa potatoes with a tahini/soy sauce
Baked potatoes deliciously smeared all around with harissa, homemade or from a tube. And then drizzle with tahini/soy sauce, chives and sesame seeds. Potatoes prepared in one of the most delicious ways. The picture speaks for itself, right?
Algerian spinach
Spinach with cayenne pepper, cumin and tomato paste. And garlic, of course. Fry the spinach well, allow moisture to evaporate. And keep stirring. Algerians came up with this delicious combination. These flavors work fantastically together. And then the finishing touch with the green olives is beautiful.
Brussels sprouts with red grapes and sherry
This is really a very creative way to serve Brussels sprouts. The combination of the sweet grapes, the delicious taste of sherry, the Brussels sprouts themselves and the crunchy water chestnuts. Cleaning Brussels sprouts is always a chore, but with a little help you’ll be done quite quickly. And otherwise it’s a meditative 15 minutes. And the result is not to be missed.
Beetroot with a spicy touch to it
Beetroot is great. That’s non negotiable. Beets get even better if you lend them a hand. And as far as I’m concerned, the best way to do that is to add some spice to it in combination with a delicious creaminess. And you won’t be surprised. That’s exactly what this dish is.
Hummus royale with roasted garlic and mushrooms
Hummus in its purest form is a home coming sensation. Is nice every day. It’s a routine. But sometimes you want hummus to be a bit more festive. Which surprises you, which makes you even happier than usual. This is such a hummus. Really a royal version.
Fried romaine lettuce with lemon, ouzo, barley and croutons
Ouzo in the dressing. Yes, really, that’s the secret ingredient here. This salad is actually perfectly balanced. The fresh lemon, the barley that brings you back to earth, the croûtons that wake you up and the ouzo that surprises you. Fried lettuce, we ate it for the first time in a restaurant in Scheveningen. It was so good that I made often make it myself ever since. And look for delicious varieties. And this is one of those.
Brussels sprouts in white wine and a velvet onion sauce
I can never eat Brussels sprouts often enough. So delicious, so versatile, so healthy. You just taste it. Here you bake them in leeks, and a splash of white wine. And then you serve them with a delicious onion sauce. A little mashed potatoes if you like. And you have a very different picture of those poor Brussels sprouts that aren’t as popular as I would love them to be.
Gratin à la Dalat
I was once famous for my Gratin Dauphinois. In the pre vegan era, of course. It’s one of those dishes you’ll have to say goodbye to. Because in my philosophy you should not try to make them with replacements because you always will keep longing for the ‘all devastating and delicious taste of the real deal’. But ladies and gentlemen, dear fans and followers, a fantastic new gratin has come into my arsenal. This Asian variant. It will have to sell itself. It doesn’t need me at all. But if you like gratin, you should try it. And why did I call it à la Dalat? Because I was once in this mountain village in Vietnam. A mountain village built by the French, to escape the heat of Ho Chi Minh, when they ‘took over the country for a while’. And since this is an Asian/Vietnamese variation on a French theme, the name seemed obvious to me.
Mushrooms, lima bean puree and spicy tomato paste
It is a strong combination of flavors and substances. Well-baked mushrooms, a very spicy tomato paste and the soothing and slightly sour lima bean puree. It makes it a great big picture on your plate and fantastic taste in your mouth.
Oxheart cabbage with ginger cream and dragon oil
You think cream, you think heavy. You might think red pepper and very spicy. You think oxheart cabbage and you might think boring. Well, if you think that, you’re 3 times wrong. This is an incredible, fresh, light, airy and sparkling dish.
Stuffed courgettes Moroccan style
Tasteful. Healthy. Colorful. Soft. Crisp. Festive. Easy. Light. Savoury. Sweet. In these 10 words, it’s all there. These courgettes filled Moroccan style. And it gives you 10 reasons to start making it.
Pearl couscous with cauliflower, pistachio and pomegranate
Pearl couscous is called couscous, but if I’m honest it doesn’t remind you of that at all. It is a cereal used mainly in the Middle East —Lebanon, Jordan— while ‘ordinary couscous’ is used more in North African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. One actually has pretty little to do with the other. It’s delicious. It absorbs the flavors of a dish nicely. It’s more present, but that’s exactly what is going to make you happy. With a great Arabic paste of fresh herbs, pistachio and pomegranate you can’t call this dish boring.
Portabello filled with risotto of leek and funghi porcini
Risotto in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. I’m insatiable when it comes to risotto. Every risotto. All the time. I also always present and serve it with the utmost love and attention. Because creamy risotto, however delicious, does not always look equally attractive. For risotto I always go that extra mile or two or three. It’s just secretly my “favorite.” And in this case, not only does it look delicious, but of course the portabello also adds real flavour and texture to the risotto.
Tagine with broad beans, artichoke and broccoli
Every vegetable tagine has its own signature. This tagine combines a whole number of flavors. Broad beans are clearly present. Artichokes cannot be eaten unnoticed either. Olives also like begin the center of attention. And of course pickled lemons speak for themselves. They bring all the flavors together. Let it all slow cook on the charcoal outside. Or on very low heat and a on your stove.
Bulgur pilav with cauliflower and apricots
The other pilavs here at à la Damaris are made with rice. This one is made for a change with bulgur. A little more sophisticated, actually. A little more subtle. A little softer. Another combination. Anyway very tasty with some spicy roasted cauliflower in it, sweet dried apricots or plums and some pistachios. It’s a treat. For sure. Hands down.
Lebanese lentils
I’ve written a hymn on lentils before. I could do it every day. Lentils are so versatile. Sometimes very present and sometimes in the background. Sometimes intense in taste and sometimes other flavors predominate. They are there in this dish, but the spices do the powerful work. It’s a spicy dish too. And a delicious one.
Pumpkin cashew nut pie
A pie ensures a great interplay of flavours and sometimes also of colours inside the crust. That is also the case here. It’s a festive dish, beautiful, exciting and you can taste several flavors at once.
Baked avocado with kidney beans, paprika and tomato
Warm avocado. Yes, yes that’s possible. And it’s also very tasty. Especially with this very tasty and spicy filling. The creamy melted coconut cheese tops it off. A delicious lunch dish, at least that’s what I make it for.
Parsnip fries
Snacking can be so good. And healthy, too. These fries are made from strips of parsnip. Very tasteful. Very crunchy. And of course full of flavour. Delicious as a side dish or just instead of a bowl of chips or nuts.
Fried red pepper
You do not need much, do you? Especially when you see this. You agree with me right? Well fried peppers, garlic, olive oil. And rosemary. Don’t eat it right away. Leave it for 1-2 days. It’s only going to make it better. On your cracker. On your bread. Part of a mezze. In your salad.
Potatoes with celery and fennel
Fennel, celery and potato. In one pan. With some basil and mint. And it’s good as it is. Really. The fennel and celery are gently smothered and subtly give off their taste. The potato is the connector. Everything is subtle and wonderfully soft in this dish. Even if you don’t like fennel or celery, this dish knows how to conquer you.
Okras in tomato sauce
Okra is een niet zo bekende groente eigenlijk. Terwijl het heel lekker is en echt de moeite waard is om eens te proberen. Verse okra’s zijn hier moeilijk te krijgen en vaak ook nog eens schreeuwend duur helaas. Ik kies dus dan gemakshalve voor ingevroren Egyptische okra’s. En die doen het helemaal prima in een gerecht als deze. In één keer opeten, niet bewaren. Want de volgende dag zijn ze slijmerig geworden. Deze laatste zin heel gauw vergeten, en gewoon lekker maken en de pan leeg schrapen.